Signs you May be Dehydrated

Drinking water is key to your health and not drinking enough can be very dangerous. Summer is around the corner and on average we lose 25% more water during the summer months. It’s often hard to drink enough water throughout the day let alone during workouts, so we are usually dehydrated to some extent.

The best way to see if you are dehydrated is the color of your urine. I know this sounds gross, but it’s better to look and know than not look and wonder. Drink plenty of water and be conscious of your hydration levels. Here are some other helpful ways to know if you are dehydrated.

Skin loses its bounce

An easy test to see if you are dehydrated is the skin test.

Simply pull a piece of your skin from the back of your hand and it should snap back into place quickly, if it doesn’t you are dehydrated. Your skin is the bodies’ largest organ, yes, skin is an organ. When you are low on water, your body starts to ration it and use what’s left for crucial bodily functions. Your skin will lose its elasticity when you are low on water.

This isn’t just a cool party trick; instead it’s a tool to check on your water level and possibly save your life. People die of dehydration all the time and usually this can be avoided.

You Are Confused

This can be from not drinking enough water, among other things, so if you notice confusion after a period of not drinking water, you’ve found your answer. This is a scary level of dehydration, often times this confusion is what ends up killing people. If you are lost in the wilderness and start to feel confused, chances are you are severely dehydrated. Confusion can be scary on its own but add in the fact that you are low on water the fright should definitely creep in. Find water immediately and drink it slow.

Bad Breath

Your saliva helps fight bacteria that prevent odors in your mouth, but when you are dehydrated your breath may begin to smell because your saliva production has gone down. The saliva in your mouth has really cool functions like digesting food and killing bacteria that cause bad breathe. Once you begin to be dehydrated, water is taken form functions like saliva production and redirected towards vital operations. Hence your bad breath begins.

Oddly hungry all of a sudden

This can result because your liver is low on water so it is confused and needs fuel, which is water. Your liver needs water to function properly, so when it’s low, it starts acting up and asking the body for nutrients and water. Your brain receives this message, as it needs fuel, which is food NOT water. So if all of a sudden you are weirdly hungry, you may be dehydrated.

Warning sign: You stop sweating

If you are working out and you suddenly stop sweating but you are still active, you are severely dehydrated.

Once your body reaches a level of dehydration where you stop sweating, you need water immediately. Your body will slow down or stop sweating to conserve the little water it has left in reserves. This is a serious sign and one that says you are in danger. Drink water or seek medical help because you may be too dehydrated for just water.

Stay hydrated out there friends, it’s going be a hot summer and I want you all around for a long time.